By Vania Raebel | June 21, 2019
Found in Chinese medical texts from the 16th century, the practice of making a mellified man consisted of having an elderly fellow who was already close to death start consuming only honey. It was believed that everything would eventually turn to honey (even the donor’s sweat and feces).
The donor’s body would then be placed in a stone coffin that was also filled with honey. The result was a healing confection and pieces of the corpse would be sold as cures. It was believed that eating these candied old fellows could cure a variety of ailments, including broken bones.
